Chapter Text
It wasn’t often, but sometimes, when in a familiar era, the nine Links allowed themselves a week of levity. Majority of the time, this led to them scattering across the land with a buddy or two. Time never wanted them to go alone, the paranoid old man he was. They would spend their time exploring, relaxing, helping strangers with random, menial tasks, or even hunting monsters for fun.
This time around, they found themselves in Twilight’s time, much to the rancher’s delight. Upon recognizing his surroundings, he immediately declared his desire to visit home. After some debate, the rest split into groups of three.
Time and Wild decided to tag along with Twilight, both curious to see the Ordon Village that the ranch hand spoke so fondly of. Warriors was adamant on visiting Castle Town, wanting to replenish supplies and partake in the luxuries of civilization before they were forced to rough it in the middle of nowhere. Sky and Four volunteered to join, the former because sleeping in a bed sounded really, really nice, and the latter because he wanted to shop.
That left Hyrule, Legend, and Wind as the remaining group of three. They didn’t have a specific destination in mind, so Twilight pointed them to Lake Hylia. It was a beautiful place, and it had plenty to do, thanks to both the bountiful nature and the carnival attractions, both of which were… relatively safe.
Thus began the “vacation week.”
Wind let out a loud, earth shattering groan as he trailed behind Legend and Hyrule. “I don’t get why you guys like this so much,” he complained loudly. Not paying much attention, he nearly bashed his head against a stalactite. It was too dark in these caves, even with Legend’s lantern lighting the way. Wind hated it.
He inched around the hanging spike, wrinkling his nose as it dripped some mystery liquid. It was probably just water, but he didn’t trust anything down here. Legend and Hyrule, however, were as happy as two minnows in a pond. They slipped their way through the tight tunnels and dipping caves with the ease of eels, happily chatting away about the strangest rock formations they ever found on their adventures.
When they had proposed the idea of “spelunking,” Wind expected big, epic caverns or maybe even an underground waterfall. Instead, the caves were plain, tight, and often required crawling or awkwardly shimmying through. Wind wasn’t claustrophobic, but for someone who had lived their entire life on the open sea, it was really starting to grate on him.
But he wasn’t about to say all that, nor was he going to ask them to turn around. He didn’t want to be the one taking the wind out of their sails. That wouldn’t stop him from complaining, though.
“I thought you didn’t like exploring,” he said to Legend.
“I don’t like exploring when there’s a risk of getting lost,” he corrected. “We don’t have a map, but this cave system has been straightforward enough. I’m leaving a trail anyway.” As he spoke, he withdrew a sharp rock he’d found at the beginning of their excursion and left a gash in the cave wall.
Several seconds passed before Wind couldn’t help but let more grievances spill out of his mouth. “But there’s nothing even down here,” he whined.
“You don’t know that,” Hyrule replied, as chipper as ever.
Legend glanced back. His lantern swung, making the shadows dance. “You’re more than welcome to head back, sailor.”
“And risk violating the old man’s sacred buddy system? I’d like to keep my head, thanks.”
“Then shush.”
Wind pouted but stayed quiet. He knew he was going to reach the invisible limit of whining in front of these two eventually. He just wished it hadn’t been so soon.
They resumed their, incredibly boring, conversation on rock formations. Wind let their words drift over his head, barely paying attention until they came upon a tight chute that went straight down.
Legend and Hyrule peered over the edge and discovered that it wasn’t that far down—maybe just a few yards. Since it was the only way forward, they started clambering down. They had to take it one at a time, passing the lantern along so that their hands could be free to climb. Wind was last. He nearly slipped on the damp rock, his shoes not meant for gripping stone, but he just managed to catch himself, cursing all the while.
Once he finally made it, plopping down onto—you guessed it, more stone—Legend patted him on the shoulder, rougher than necessary. “That wasn’t so bad, yeah?” he said, a smirk playing on his lips. “We’ll make a spelunker out of you yet, sailor.”
“I should’ve gone with the rancher,” Wind mumbled, rubbing the dirt on his hands off onto his shirt.
Fortunately, the cave was much more open down here, but it was also colder. Wind hadn’t realized it, but the temperature had been dropping the further underground they went. After squeezing through that tight chute, and now being exposed to open air, it was all the more obvious. He shivered. Barely bit back a complaint.
They continued on. As they went, the cave started to gradually rise in an incline. It got narrower, the ceiling sloping down as the ground arched up, until they were awkwardly hiking with their backs hunched. That is, until Wind felt something—a light whisper of air, like a fairy’s wings fluttering against his skin.
A breeze.
Excited, he pointed it out to the other two. They all stopped to feel the barely shifting air. Hyrule wet a finger in his mouth and held it up, brow scrunched in concentration for a few seconds, before he nodded.
With renewed curiosity, they quickened their awkward, hunched pace, climbing up the incline that was getting steeper and steeper with every step. Several more paces, and they realized that, up ahead, a faint, blue light was emanating. That only buoyed them further, until they were on their hands and knees, crawling up to a ledge above their heads. The breeze was stronger, and it was cold.
Legend was first. He had put his lantern away, as the soft, blue light was bright enough to illuminate the rock. Using Hyrule and Wind’s outstretched hands as a springboard, he hoisted himself up and over. His pegasus boots disappeared past the rock, and Wind waited impatiently for his return. A beat passed, another, then the veteran poked his head back. He had a bright grin. “You’re gonna love this,” he told them, then reached down to help Wind up next.
Stone scratched at Wind’s legs as he scrambled up, pushed by Hyrule and pulled by Legend. Once he got his knees under him, he sprung to his feet, grumbling as he dusted himself off. Then, in the corner of his eye, there was blue. He glanced up, and the sight before him stole the air right out of his lungs.
The cavern was huge. Bigger than any fairy fountain, bigger than the Rito’s home on Dragon Roost Island. All around, hanging from the ceiling, jutting out from the walls, even sprouting from the ground, were crystals. Shining blue crystals that illuminated the entire space in a soft, misty glow. And in the very center—a lake.
The blue of the crystals reflected off of the water with a beautiful shimmer. Overhead, massive stalactites dripped water into the lake. Every drop made a pleasant tinkling sound and made the water dance with little ripples.
It wasn’t an underground waterfall, but in Wind’s humble opinion, this was better than any waterfall could ever be.
It must be water from Lake Hylia. Over countless centuries, water seeped through the rock, traveling several miles before finally dropping here. Maybe, way back then, Lake Hylia had been bigger, fuller, but the water drained through some unseen cracks and tunnels, forming a sister underground.
Had anyone ever found this place? Twilight hadn’t mentioned it. An excited thrill rushed through Wind at the thought that they were the first—that this place hadn’t ever been touched by hylian eyes or hylian hands.
It was a reminder of why he loved exploring. Why he still sailed with Tetra and her crew, even though his quest had long since finished. Discovering the unknown, witnessing wonders beyond comprehension of his little island home, that was why.
“Not that bad, huh?” Legend said proudly.
Hyrule, having been hoisted up by the veteran, let out a gasp of awe. “Oh wow.”
“Still think you should’ve gone with the rancher?”
“No way,” Wind answered immediately, appalled by the very idea. He would crawl through the tiniest of caves to see this.
Hyrule suddenly sprung towards the water. “Last one in’s a peahat!’
Wind shouted, offended that the traveler got a headstart, and bolted after him, shedding his gear and kicking off his shoes as he went. Hyrule got their first, like the cheater he was, whooping with joy as he leapt into the water. The splash sparkled like a dozen shards of glass, sprinkling onto Wind’s face.
He threw himself after the traveler, who popped back up just in time to get a faceful of water from the sailor. Cold plunged into his bones as the water enveloped him, shocking him into stillness for a second before he kicked back to the surface.
“Come on, vet!” Hyrule called.
Legend stood with his arms folded, tapping his foot like some agitated rabbit. Then, abruptly, he sighed, and went about dropping his gear, boots, hat, and tunic, until he was just in his underclothes.
Wind and Hyrule let out twin shouts of laughter as Legend jumped into the lake. When the veteran poked his head back up, sopping wet, he splashed water right in Wind’s face.
“Was that a challenge?” Wind asked dramatically, wiping the freezing water from his eyes.
Legend bared his chattering teeth in a grin. “So what if it was?”
Thus began a glorious battle of splashing and chasing through the lake. It was a restless fight, as they didn’t want to give the cold a chance to dig its icy fingers into their limbs. They were breathless from laughter, cheeks and noses rosy red. It was just like playing in the ocean waves with Aryll. Homesickness threatened to well up in Wind’s throat, but another splash from Hyrule chased it away.
As Wind was struggling to shove Hyrule under the water, practically clinging to him like a barnacle, Legend suddenly froze. His head was craned away, staring at something across the cavern. Wind stopped, letting Hyrule break free, and the two followed Legend's line of sight.
There was a… creature. That was the only word Wind could think to describe it, for it didn’t resemble any sort of monster or animal he knew.
It was a weird little thing, almost creepy. Barely over a foot tall, it sported a white head with two curled horns and a crack down the middle. Beneath, a black body was partially obscured by a ratty, dusky-blue cloak. It wielded a strange weapon, shaped like a miniature lance, yet carried like a sword.
It stood on the stone several paces from the lake’s edge, staring at them. Unmoving, silent. Several bloated seconds drifted past, of one weird bony creature staring at three hylians treading water.
“Uh… hello,” Wind called out.
The thing tilted its head, as if surprised to hear his voice. It didn’t really have a face—only two, black, empty eyes. They were unnerving, almost like… holes. Actually, the more Wind stared, the more he realized that they were literally holes. That, coupled with the crack, made Wind think that the “head” was actually some kind of helmet or mask.
“I’m guessing you two have no idea what that is?” Hyrule asked quietly.
They instinctively looked to Legend. If anyone knew, it would be the well-traveled veteran, but their hopes were dashed when he shook his head. “I have no idea,” he whispered. “Let’s get to shore, but move slowly. And don’t take your eyes off of it.”
They did so, carefully inching towards the edge. Now that they weren’t actively playing and wrestling, the cold was really taking hold. Wind’s shivering was making more ripples than their actual swimming.
The creature watched them, its head slowly, slowly turning as they finally made it out of the water. It didn’t move as they climbed out, nor when they shuffled to their piles of gear. It just watched, holding its weird sword-like weapon. While it was little, it certainly looked sharp, and Wind didn’t doubt this thing could do serious damage. There was a strange air of power around it, silent and invisible, but no less potent.
But there was something else too. Wind felt a little insane thinking it, but he couldn’t help but see this creature as very… lost. Lost and lonely. So while Hyrule and Legend retrieved their gear—namely, their swords and shields—Wind didn’t. He was in front of them, between them and the creature, and he made no move to arm himself. His body trembled from the cold, but he did his best to ignore it.
It had responded to his voice, so maybe if he tried talking to it, he could get it to relax. “Hello,” he said again, and, again, the creature tilted its head. “Is… is this your home? I’m sorry if we’re intruding. It’s a really pretty place.”
“Sailor,” Legend hissed from behind.
Wind ignored him. “Or maybe it’s not your home?” he continued. “Are you lost? If you are, we can help you get to the surface.”
At the mention of the surface, the thing perked up. It started towards them, footsteps silent across the stone, then stopped when Hyrule and Legend stiffened up.
“Guys,” Wind reprimanded. If they kept up their defense, this creature would read them as hostile.
The two met his eyes, one paranoid and stubborn, the other wary but undeniably curious. Hyrule relented first, lowering his sword and even slinging his shield onto his back. Legend shot him a glare, but with the traveler on Wind’s side, the veteran was quick to follow.
“If this thing kills us, I’m blaming you,” he muttered. It was unclear who he meant.
Wind rolled his eyes before returning his attention to the creature. It hadn’t moved, but when Wind met its holes-maybe-eyes, it took another tentative step, then another.
“What’s your name?” Wind asked. He crouched down; he felt weird towering over it. “My name’s Link, but so is his, and his,” he gestured to his companions, “so I’m called the sailor.” When it didn’t respond, just stared at him blankly, he mimicked its mannerisms and tilted his head. “Can you understand me?”
It nodded.
Wind lit up. A response! Encouraged, he asked, “Can you speak?”
It shook its head.
“That’s okay. Sometimes we don’t speak all that much either.”
With another step forward, it stopped, then lifted its weapon. Wind’s smile faltered, Legend tensed, until the creature merely pointed the weapon straight up. When Wind didn’t say anything, it bobbed the weapon, emphasizing.
“You… want us to lead you up?” Wind asked. “To the surface?”
Another nod.
“Okay. Okay, sure! Yeah, we can do that.” Wind straightened to his feet and collected his stuff. His clothes were sopping wet, and they squelched uncomfortably as he moved about, but he was used to it. The cold was brutal, but that was the price he paid to swim in an underground lake. All things considered, he thought it was a rather fair price.
The creature watched them all carefully as they finished gathering their gear. Wind made sure to keep his Phantom Sword sheathed, and he glared at Legend and Hyrule until they both sheathed their swords as well. With that done, he glanced back at their new companion. To his pleasant surprise, it had put its weapon away as well. It now rested on its back.
Its face was currently turned to Hyrule. When the traveler noticed, he blinked, then gave it a little wave. “Hey,” he said. “I’m Link, like he said, but you can call me traveler. The grump is the veteran.” He jabbed a thumb at said grump, who was back to folding his arms and tapping his foot.
“Don’t mind him,” Wind said dismissively. “We’ll get you out of here lickety-split. Hope you like spelunking.”
In response, the creature simply plodded right up to them. When they started towards the chute—which was going to be a pain to climb up—it silently followed. The more Wind watched it, the more he thought it was kinda… cute. In a bizarre way.
First the underground lake, now this little creature. Wind was very, very glad he hadn’t gone with Twilight or, spirits forbid, Warriors with his long, boring shopping spree. This was absolutely worth the couple of hours crawling and trudging through caves. Even so, he decided he was still going to complain on the trip up. Couldn’t let Legend and Hyrule think he was a “spelunker” now.